Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Hear It Like a Baby

Yesterday was a big day in the world of Marillion, as Somewhere Else officially hit record shops in most of the world (but not until April 23rd here in the "Marillion wasteland" that is North America). Thanks to a UK pre-order, we received our copy about a week ago, so we have had the chance to put it to our initial listening tests. It's funny how each of us reacts to new music from a band we like so much, a band whose music requires lots of effort to "get".

Me - I latch on to some particularly catchy riff and play it over and over...and over. In the end, the song I ultimately think is the best is one I hardly even noticed on the first bunch of listens.

Desi - Desi is angry (but not when she is hanging with Rothers, of course...). She doesn't like the new music. She resents that they even made a new album. She just wants to listen to the old music she knows and loves. So what we end up doing is shuffling the new CD in with some old Marillion favorites. This works wonders, as eventually she can't tell the new tunes from the old, and loves them all the same.

Julie - Julie seems to analyze new music in much the same way as I do, but at a much slower pace. For her, key moments on the new album include the chorus of "Thank You Whoever You Are" and the line "hats off to China" in the song "The Last Century For Man."

Z-man - Z goes about his business as if there was no music being played at all. No commentary, no nothing. It's like he isn't even paying attention. But then, suddenly, he starts singing a particular song endlessly and telling us how it is his favorite Marillion song ever. We're still waiting for that seemingly out-of-nowhere moment to occur...